Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library discussion

Here's a quick summary of our Literature with Lunch Book group today at the library --

Great Expectations is used as an expression throughout the novel and it grows increasingly ironic each time the phrase appears. As often as Pip’s circumstances are supposed to improve, they seem to spiral further down. The book being full of irony appealed to many of us as readers.

The split personality of John Wemmick gave rise to an interesting discussion of public and private life. In London, Wemmick serves as clerk and bill collector to the lawyer Mr. Jaggers, collecting portable property from the condemned at Newgate prison and berating clients in support for his employers general demeanor. At home, which John Wemmick has modeled after a castle, he looks after his delightful deaf father and putters about the garden with an altogether different demeanor. The narrator, Pip, is invited home with Wemmick and therefore sees both his work and home personas in contrast. This separation of public and private, of work and home, provides a basis for looking at everything from the examination of public officials private lives to whether to friend your coworkers on Facebook, and our book discussion group shared many perspectives and examples for and against Wemmick’s split persona. Wemmick was my favorite character this read-through and I think that it was because I identified with his split-personality issues.

From the review of “Great Expectations” in The Saturday Review 12.299 (July 20, 1861) “ It has characters in it that will become part of common talk, and live even in the mouths of those who do not read novels.” What better phrasing for “instant classic” than these? And who hasn't heard of Miss Havisham?

Dickens gives us, the modern reader two endings to discuss – the first original ending being shorter and leaving less romantic possibilities than the second, which was written to please his readers. We were divided at book group as to which ending we preferred.

Many members of book group had watched one or more movie versions -- the BBC version was judged to be the most accurate, and Gwenyth Paltrow/Ethan Hawke version to be the most laughable, and the David Lean version was enjoyed by some as well.

Have you read Great Expectations? What do you think?

Unfortunately, I have never read this book. I have, however, seen the laughable Gwenyth Paltrow/Ethan Hawke movie. That might be why I've stayed away from reading it. Sounds like I should change my mind and read this for my next classic.

I remember reading it in junior high, and hated reading it at the time but grew to like it. It is one of those stories that stayed in my head over the years.

I actually enjoyed the Gwenyth Paltrow/Ethan Hawke modernized version of the movie. I thought it showed how Eliza enters and leaves Pip's life only to leave him longing for her even more. I had a friend bring up how "green" that movie was and I also remember green being the prevalient color.